File synchronization solutions facilitate the sharing of files among a plurality of users and devices. But while file synchronization solutions offer a much desired productivity boost, they also present serious risks of data leakage, as massive amounts of enterprise data can be taken out of the enterprise network potentially and placed on non-secured public clouds or on individuals' personal computing devices. Additionally, file synchronization solutions typically lack centralized control and visibility. That is, the enterprise does not know what data is being shared or synchronized, with whom, and as a result such potential data loss may go undetected. For these reasons, file synchronization solutions are often discouraged or even blocked by security-conscious organizations.
While certain present file encryption solutions can be layered on top of existing file synchronization solutions, these merely encrypt documents prior to sharing them via the file synchronization systems, and are unable to control how documents are used or gain visibility to their whereabouts and use once they have been downloaded. Conversely, present information rights management solutions do not integrate with file synchronization solutions, they are generally ineffective when it comes to facilitating sharing of data beyond the enterprise perimeter, and are incapable of supporting the breadth of devices and platforms required in today's world.